Benediction
by Very Swampeh
Summary: Sequel to Tenebrae. Roy thought it was all done, but there's something still lurking in the Cental sewers. The task of finishing it lands on Roy's shoulders, but he finds himself reluctant to do the deed. AU-manga, death, blood.
1. Reaction

**It's here! This fic is a sequel to another fic of mine- _Tenebrae_- and I highly reccommend going to read that one before you start this. Though I'm hoping to include enough backstory so that anyone could follow it. **

**I was planning on writing the whole story before posting, but... I'm too excited to wait. This fic is not going to be long- three chapters, possibly four. **

**Warnings: A handful of OCs, blood, gore, all-around creepiness, death, angst, and cursing, but not enough for an M-rating. No pairings.**

If there was one thing that he hated, it was the Central sewers.

Charlie Arborthal raised the lantern in his hand a little higher as he made his way through one of the dozens of sewage tunnels under Central. He was the newest recruit to the State Alchemist program, and the first alchemist to sign up after the fall of Bradley. He hadn't been sent out of the city yet, and this most recent mission was one of the most exciting he'd had.

Of course, meeting his commanding officer was always an exciting event.

_"Arborthal, you're late."_

_Charlie cringed and saluted. "I'm sorry, General Mustang, sir," he replied._

_Mustang scowled. "I have a new assignment for you," he said, holding out a slim file for Arborthal to take. "Some of the workers that have been repairing the sewers have complained of strange… happenings. Reports include missing tools, odd noises and other strange events." Mustang paused and pointed at his newest subordinate. "There's something down there, either some troublemakers or chimeras. Go down there tonight and see what you can find."_

And now here he was, ankle deep in water and so scared he was about to soil himself.

Charlie sighed and glanced over his shoulder. There had been rumors flying around for months after the Fullmetal Alchemist had mysteriously died in the sewers. People swore his ghost still haunted the tunnels under the city.

Not that he believed in such things. He was an alchemist, and ghosts didn't exist.

Right?

Right.

He paused by the scaffolds that had been set up to repair one of the walls that had been destroyed in the fights earlier that year. Several tools had been left out by the workers for the night.

"Doesn't seem like anything's out of place here," Charlie muttered, kicking one of the ladders. The sewers were quiet and he really couldn't see anything strange.

Then the flame in his lantern flickered and Charlie felt the hairs on the back of his neck stand up. He turned around, eyes darting around the room. He wasn't near any of the entrances…

"Hello?" he called, feeling rather foolish. He was alone. Who went roaming around the sewers at night? And if it was a chimera, it wasn't like it could reply or anything.

But it was quiet. Charlie frowned and pulled out his watch the check the time. It was almost three- he'd been working for almost four hours. "Okay, I'm done for tonight," he muttered. Mustang was going to be furious that he didn't have any new leads, but that man always in a sour mood.

"…_You_."

Charlie froze and jerked around, the lantern swinging wildly. The sound had been barely more than a whisper, so it could just have been his imagination. He hadn't been sleeping well lately, so he was probably starting to hallucinate.

He hadn't even taken a dozen steps before he heard it again. "…_You_." It wasn't any louder, but it seemed to be closer. Charlie scowled and squinted into the darkness beyond his small circle of light.

"Who's there? Come out, I'm a State Alchemist!" he called, grabbing the small dagger from his belt that was etched with his transmutation circles.

There was no reply and Charlie took a hesitant step back towards the scaffolds. He lifted the lantern higher to see the top level when there was a sharp gust of wind a several tools fell to the floor with a clatter.

"_You!_"

Charlie jumped as the wind blew by his face. The voice had practically been in his ear that time, and as the gust died down, the alchemist brandished the knife. "Show yourself! I don't know who you are, but what you're doing in the sewers is hindering the rebuilding efforts down here!" Maybe if he put up a tough show, the person would just leave. Or at least come out from wherever they were hiding.

And then he'd have _something_ to report back to Mustang.

A snicker sounded from his right and Charlie narrowed his eyes. "_Alchemist_…" the voice hissed. It was obviously closer, just outside his range of vision, and Charlie took the chance to see the mysterious visitor.

He lunged forward, brandishing the lantern like a weapon.

"What?" Charlie frowned. There was nothing there, not even a ripple in the water to show that someone had been standing there a moment ago.

"_ALCHEMIST!_"

The roar came from behind him and Charlie yelled as he was shoved several feet across the floor and slammed into the wall. With a groan, he adjusted his grip on the dagger only to have it and the lantern knocked away by another burst of wind.

Charlie glanced around for his weapon, but it was gone, probably into the water and washed away. The lantern was a couple of feet away, knocked on its side and flickering weakly. He didn't make a move for it, though- he could feel some sort of vibe from the darkness in front of him and Charlie could have sworn something was watching him.

Slowly, he pushed himself up, eyes locked on the shadows in front of him. He really didn't care about his tough-guy act anymore- he wanted out and he wanted out _now_.

But before he could take a step, a hand slammed on the wall, inches away from his nose. Charlie let out an undignified squeak and froze. The hand was bony and his gaze trailed up to the arm, which was covered with torn black cloth and blood. Lots of blood.

He swallowed heavily and looked up to the face.

And screamed.

Like the hand, the face was sunken, bony, and slathered with blood. Long, shaggy blond hair stuck up in unruly patches, spotted with rusty patches. The eyes were a sharp gold and added to the crazed, feral look. Charlie cringed and looked down, only to look back up a split second later and bite his lip to keep himself from vomiting.

_Was that a kidney? Don't think about it, Arborthal. Just block it out_. The chest had been sliced open, spilling what Charlie could only assume were organs. There was even more blood down there, trailing down to the legs and seeping into the ripped pants.

But the strangest thing… he could see through the person. Not completely, but he could make out the shape of the wall through the chest and head.

Charlie's mind went blank before supplying him with the one possible solution: ghost.

"_You… you're an alchemist?_"

Charlie glanced back to the face, and gave a nod, still too occupied with wrapping his mind around his latest revelation to reply.

The eyes narrowed and the ghost leaned back a little. It scowled. "_State Alchemist?_" it asked, eyes raking over his body and stopping on the silver chain of his pocket watch.

"Y-yes," Charlie stuttered out.

It grunted and then Charlie found himself looking down the tip of an automail finger. The sleeve covering the arm was completely gone, and several outer plates were missing, leaving wires hanging. The fingers hand been reduced to the joints and the one pointing at him had been broken into a sharpened claw.

"_Mustang._"

Charlie frowned. "What?"

The ghost rolled its eyes, and Charlie shivered and tried to push himself further into the wall. The sockets were too wide, and the gesture was just… disturbing.

"_Find Mustang,_" it repeated. When it didn't get a response it leaned closer, and bared its blood-slicked teeth. "_Well?_" it asked, voice testy.

Charlie licked his lips and nodded. But his legs had locked and he was pretty sure he'd never be able to move until the apparition had left.

The ghost sighed in exasperation and ran a hand down its face, muttering.

Really, Charlie didn't know what to make of the situation. Dealing with annoyed spirits in sewers wasn't something they went over in basic training.

The hand dropped and ghost fixed him with a glare. "_GET ME MUSTANG!_" it suddenly screeched, taking a swipe at Charlie's face. "_BRING HIM TO ME!_"

That was all it took. Instinct took over and the alchemist bolted, tripping over the lantern, putting the flame out, and running blindly into the darkness towards an exit with the ghost screaming after him.

**Three guesses who the ghost is!**

**This is my first attempt at something this creepy and/or spooky, and I'm loving it. Gore is fun :D**


	2. Return

**It's time to bring Roy into the picture! Oh the fun!**

**No real action in this chapter, besides OC abuse, but this was the best place to end the chapter without making it incredibly long.**

At first, Roy wasn't sure what had woken him up. It was almost four in the morning and while he did have bouts of insomnia due to drinking and war flashbacks, he hadn't been drinking and wasn't covered in sweat from a nightmare.

The general rolled over and pulled the covers back over his head. He had a meeting with Hakuro again the next morning, and he needed to be coherent to deal with all the stupidity he was going to encounter.

Even now, almost a year after taking down the Homunculi, Roy found himself being interrogated as to what had happened, why Bradley was dead, and why Fullmetal's body had gone missing.

Really, why couldn't Hakuro just go and die?

_Knock knock knock!_

Roy froze and peeked out from under the covers. He was sure he had heard knocking, but who in the world would come to his door at this time of the night?

The knocking started up again, louder, and Roy groaned and slid out of the bed. Whoever it was obviously wasn't going anywhere, and the sooner he dealt with it, the sooner he could get back to sleep.

The alchemist grabbed his gloves and slipped them on before stalking down the stairs and towards his front door. At this point, he could hear someone calling his name in between knocks. They sounded like they were on the verge of panic.

Roy jerked the door open and Arborthal nearly punched him in the chest from his flurry of knocks. The younger alchemist froze and took a step back.

They stared at each other for a moment; Roy noted absently that the younger man was soaked. "What the hell is your problem, Arborthal?" Roy growled, stepping over the threshold and onto the porch. Arborthal had been under his command for nearly four months, and Roy's initial loathing of the young man had yet to abate. It wasn't that he had done anything to infuriate Mustang- it was more Hakuro's fault than anything else. Within months of Ed's death, Hakuro had promptly dropped Arborthal into Roy's unit, telling him that he had gone to great lengths to secure Mustang a "replacement alchemist."

Just thinking about that day was enough to make Roy's blood boil and it took quite a bit of control to stifle the urge to punch Arborthal every time the man walked into his office.

And now Arborthal had gone and woken him in the middle of the night.

Wearing his gloves had probably been a bad idea; Roy wasn't sure how much self-restraint he'd be able to muster tonight.

Charlie was staring at him nervously, and Roy scowled. "Major, I asked you a question. Do you have a reason for waking me up?"

Arborthal let out a low whimper before flinging himself at Mustang. "General! He's down there! You have to come, he asked for you andhe'sgoingtokillmeyouhavetogo-!"

Mustang slapped a hand over Charlie's mouth and shoved him inside the house before closing the door. "Slow down, Arborthal. What's down where?"

It seemed that Charlie was beyond forming sentences. "The sewers! It's him, I saw him! All the blood and oh my god, his organs were everywhere, and-and-and-" Arborthal stopped talking and whimpered again, sinking down to the floor and holding his head in his hands.

Roy sighed and made his way over to the liquor cabinet. He had no idea what his subordinate had found in the sewers, but whatever it was had put him on the verge of hysteria. He poured two glasses of scotch and thrust one in Arborthal's face. "Drink and calm down," he ordered.

The other alchemist looked at the glass blankly before downing it in one gulp and slamming the glass on the floor.

Roy, on the other hand, chose to sip his alcohol slowly and watch his subordinate quietly. The major took several deep breaths and, after a second glass, seemed to have composed himself.

"I'll ask you one more time to explain yourself, Arborthal. After that, I'm going to set your pants on fire and kick you out my door." Roy scratched his arm and yawned. "Now. Who's down in the sewers asking for me?"

Arborthal stood up and licked his lips. He sucked in a breath and tensed, as if bracing himself. "Fullmetal, Sir."

* * *

Roy was sure he'd never run so fast in his life.

After punching Arborthal in the face, he had dragged his unfortunate subordinate by the collar to the door, snarling about all the way. "I don't know what kind of stunt you're trying to pull, but if you want to get killed, you certainly picked the right way!"

Arborthal gasped as Mustang slammed him against the wall. "S-sir! I'm not lying, it was him, I swear!" he exclaimed, eyeing Mustang's left hand warily as the alchemist adjusted on his glove. "I wouldn't lie about something like this!"

Mustang scowled and snorted in disbelief.

And then Arborthal began to talk. At first, Mustang ignored it, too intent on figuring out where it would be best to set his subordinate on fire, but then the babbling caught his attention. Arborthal, in his desperation to not get cooked, had begun to describe what Edward had looked like. And there was no way he could have known that…

Unless he'd actually seen him.

Roy abruptly stepped back and released his subordinate. The young man sagged against the wall and stared up at the general, still wary of being killed.

"Show me, Arborthal."

"S-show you what?"

"Fullmetal."

And then they were off, running like mad men to the sewer entrance closest to where Arborthal had run into Edward.

Arborthal skidded to a halt near a manhole cover and pulled the metal out of the way. The two men stared at the dark hole for a moment before Roy pointed to it.

"You first, Major."

The younger man bit his lip and made his way down the ladder, and Roy followed him.

It had been a while since Roy had been down in the sewers, and the alchemist took a deep breath. _Keep it together, Mustang,_ he told himself firmly. Yes, this was the last place he really wanted to be, but if Arborthal was right somehow…

He followed closely behind his subordinate, who had brought a new lantern. Suddenly, the young man stopped. "He was over there by the scaffolds," he said, pointing; Roy could just make out the outlines in the gloom.

Arborthal didn't move. "Well? You going?" Roy growled. Was his subordinate really spineless?

As it turned out, he was. The young alchemist shook his head firmly at the general's question.

Roy narrowed his eyes and snatched the lantern away and began to stalk over towards where Arborthal had pointed. He was glad he had worn his military boots- they were high enough to keep his feet dry. With the lantern gone, Arborthal had chased after his superior officer in the fear of being left in the dark.

They arrived at the scaffolds and Roy glanced around, raising the lantern to see his surroundings better. "I don't see him, Arborthal," he growled. When this was over, Arborthal was really going to get it…

"_That's because I'm over here, Colonel Dumbass."_

Roy swung around so violently he smacked Arborthal with the lantern. The young alchemist yelped and fell to his knees, holding his head, but Roy ignored him, instead choosing to stare at the large pile of rubble behind him.

And perched on top was Edward Elric.

They stared at each other for a moment, Roy's eyes wide and Ed looking utterly bored, yet smug at the same.

_"Took you long enough. I mean, really, it's been almost a year and you're still not done fixing the sewers?"_ Ed rolled his eyes and lounged back against the rock.

Roy's eye twitched. "It's called politics, Fullmetal," he snapped, habit taking over while his mind was still trying to process what the hell was going on.

Edward looked… normal. Arborthal had talked about how mangled the alchemist's body had been, but looking at him now, Roy never would have guessed he'd been mauled to death by Pride. He was wearing the standard eye-bleeding red coat with black pants and boots, with his blond hair pulled back into a ponytail. If it wasn't for the fact that Ed was slightly transparent, Roy would have assumed he was alive.

Ed was still staring at him and as the silence stretched on, he leaped from the small mountain of debris and glided over to where Mustang and Arborthal were standing. _"Yeah, it's me. Could you close your mouth and stop staring at me like an idiot?"_

Roy snapped his mouth shut, unaware that it had been open to begin with. At the close proximity, he could pick out a slight reddish tint to Ed's eyes. The two alchemists stared at each other while Arborthal whimpered in fear and pain on the ground.

"You have a lot of explaining to do," Roy finally spat out. Ed snorted and opened his mouth, but Roy cut him off with a raised hand. "But before you say anything, let me sit down before my legs give out." He made his way over to the scaffolds and sat down heavily on the bottom level. Arborthal scurried after him and planted himself next to the lantern. _I'm too old to be dealing with this kind of stuff._

"You coming, Fullmetal?" he asked, noticing that the blond hadn't moved from his spot.

Ed squirmed. _"I can't,"_ he replied.

The general frowned. "You can't? Why not?"

_"That's outside my range."_ Ed took a couple of steps closer, but stopped several feet away. _"This is as far as I can go. Any further and it's gets a little sketchy."_

Roy decided to wait on more questions. "Arborthal! Make us a bench," he ordered, pointing to where Ed was standing.

The alchemist looked horrified, but after a firm push, he hesitantly made his way over to the designated area. As he neared, Ed turned to stare at him. This seemed to unnerve Arborthal to no end; Roy could see him shaking from his seat.

As the alchemist crouched to transmute, a demented smirk crossed Ed's face and he leaned so that he was hovering right above Arborthal, his face right next to the man's neck.

_"Boo."_

Arborthal shrieked and bolted, tripped over his feet and fell in a heap in a puddle. Roy groaned as Ed began to cackle, enjoying his ability to torment the poor solider.

Obviously, he was going to have to make that bench himself. Mustang scowled and got back to his feet, stalking past the traumatized heap that was his subordinate. As he bent to finish Arborthal's transmutation circle, he shook his head. "You're such an ass, Fullmetal."

Ed sniffed haughtily as Roy transmuted the bench and a flash of light illuminated the sewers. For a moment, Ed was invisible, save for the two smudges of red of his eyes. When the bench was made, Roy sat and crossed his arms. "Start talking. How the hell are you here?"

**Yeah, bad place to break the chapter, but the explination is pretty much a chapter in on itself. So you get that next. **

**And I feel a little bad for beating up Arborthal so much. Poor guy needs a break.**


	3. Reason

**Hello, everyone! A new chapter for you! And if you haven't read the bonus FMA chapter, go find it. It's so sweet, I cried a little. **

**Heavy italics in this chapter- sorry if they're hard to read.**

Ed frowned. _"You okay with him hearing all this?"_ he asked, pointing to Arborthal, who was eyeing him warily from behind the bench.

Roy glanced over his shoulder at his subordinate. "You repeat a word of this, and I'll kill you," he warned. The soldier nodded quickly. "Alright, Fullmetal. Start talking."

The ghost scratched the side of his nose and huffed. _"Okay, so after I went after Pride, we ended up in that big room where the Homunculi had been making base and all that. We were really getting into the fight and then he broke out those tentacle things-"_ Ed wiggled his fingers to demonstrate _"-and things started to get all nasty from there."_

Roy looked away and bit the inside of his cheek. He knew just how nasty things had gotten with Pride.

Clearly, Ed hadn't noticed. _"So I ended up get caught in the tendrils, but I was close enough to activate Marcoh's circle and destroy Pride. But there was some, ah, _backlash_ and I got kinda beat up."_

Mustang's eyes narrowed_. Don't think about it, Mustang! Repress!_ he told himself firmly. Thinking about That Night and all the mess that went with it would not help the situation.

Ed was obviously still oblivious to the general's body language. _"And so I was going to use alchemy to heal myself, like I did up at Briggs when I got impaled, but..."_ Ed paused and scowled and clenched his automail fist. _"He showed up."_

Roy glanced back up at Ed. "Who?" he asked, confused. All the Homunculi had been taken care of, so who had Ed run into down there?

_"Father,"_ Ed snarled.

_Oh shit_. Roy's eyes widened and he jerked to his feet, putting himself eye level with Ed. "What! He was down there?"

Ed looked startled at Roy's reaction, but managed a nod in response.

Roy stared at Ed for a moment before groaned and sinking back onto the bench. "Damn! I forgot about him," he moaned, rubbing his face with his hands.

_"Obviously,"_ Ed muttered, crossing his arms across his chest.

"What happened then?" Roy asked, almost dreading it. Whatever Father did was obviously the cause of Ed's death, and he really didn't want to hear that. Ignorance was bliss, and he didn't want to know.

Ed sighed. _"He just came at me. I didn't know what he was going to do, so I activated the circle again and grabbed him when he was close enough." _The alchemist paused and examined his fingers. _"I don't know what happened when the circle activated. Everything went white and there was a lot of screaming, and pain. It felt like I was on fire- everything hurt."_ Ed broke off and glowered at a wall, uncomfortable with having to reveal the fact that he had been in pain. _"I think it was a backlash. When I came to, I was inside Father."_

Roy felt his stomach drop. "Inside him? In the stone?"

The ghost nodded. _"But it wasn't really him. It turns out that the stone Father used was too big for the circle to destroy, so all the souls inside him ended up bound to the disc the circle was etched onto."_

"Holy crap," Roy whispered. He hadn't been expecting that. "But I didn't see his body anywhere near yours." The words were out of his mouth before he could stop them.

Ed shifted uncomfortably and looked away. There was an awkward silence before Roy cleared this throat and gestured for Ed to continue.

_"That's because the stone was what held his body together, and when the souls left, the body fell apart,"_ Ed explained. _"I'm not sure why, the removal from the stone to the circle seemed to have awakened all the souls that were fueling Father. They went berserk and they smothered him."_

Roy slowly got to his feet. "So, technically, he's still alive."

Ed nodded. _"He's trapped in the circle, but it's only a matter of time before he overpowers the souls and takes control of all of them… including me."_

It was impossible to miss the waver at the end of Ed's sentence. The thought of being used as energy for Father was scaring him, and Roy could hardly blame him. And the fact that Father already had a year to work made it even worse.

"Is that why you've been harassing the workers in the sewers?" Roy asked. "To get someone to come looking?"

_"Yeah. I figured if I made it creepy enough, an alchemist would get sent in, and I was right,"_ Ed explained with a smirk. _"But my soul can only go so far from the circle and this is the first time I could really get in contact with anyone."_ The ghost raised an eyebrow. _"Y'know, if it takes you this long to fix a sewer, then you're doing a really crappy job at running the country."_

Roy scowled. "I'm not running it yet, Edward," he snapped.

_"What the hell are you waiting for? An invitation?"_

The Flame rolled his eyes. "I don't feel like explaining the current political situation to someone who's been living in the sewers for a year."

Ed gave him the finger.

"Anyway, show me where the circle is," Roy said, cracking a knuckle. "We have to do something about him."

The ghost's eyes narrowed before he nodded and began to glide back towards the entrance to the inner chamber to Father's lair. Roy grabbed the lantern and hurried after, trying to ignore the cold, creeping feeling in his stomach. Going back through those doors was going to bring back a world of memories he really didn't want to remember, but he had to suck it up and deal with this newest complication.

"Wait for me!" Arborthal came splashing after them, whimpering like a kicked puppy.

Ed glanced over his shoulder and scowled. _"Where'd you get that one?"_ he asked.

Roy sighed. "He's my newest recruit, courtesy of the Brass."

_"So he's my replacement?"_

"Pretty much, yes."

Ed's expression darkened even more. _"He's a sissy,"_ he growled out. _"You've got some work to do."_

Roy couldn't suppress his snort. "I know."

They had passed through the entryway to the central chamber. The place was still a mess, the floor littered with piles of rocks and cement. Roy slogged his way through an inch of water, eyes on Ed's back as the alchemist made his way through the maze of rocks.

"So, you're a ghost?"

It was Arborthal who had finally spoken up, much to Roy's surprise.

Ed glanced over his shoulder. _"Not really. Technically, I'm a disembodied soul, which I suppose could be considered a ghost,"_ he replied.

"Then how can you change what you look like? You nearly scared me to death the first time!" he exclaimed, indignantly.

The blond snorted. _"I had to make sure you did what I told you, so scaring you shitless was my best option,"_ he smirked. _"But I seem to be able to give my soul a shape because I'm an alchemist who's been through the Gate and I don't need to draw circles, which would be almost impossible for a ghost to do. So instead, I use my knowledge from the Gate to refract and bend light to create my form."_ Ed shrugged. _"It's a theory. Part of it might have to do with the fact that I haven't been trapped in a Philosopher's Stone for several hundred years and lost all memory of my human body." _

"Makes sense," Roy said, mulling over Ed's speculations.

And then they were there. Ed was hovering a couple of inches above a large pile of rocks. _"The disc was buried under all this mess. I'm not really sure what exactly happened after the backlash, but it probably caused some damage around here."_

Roy crossed his arms across his chest. "You always knew how to make a mess," he muttered, eyeing the heap of debris.

Ed scowled and crossed his arms. _"It's not all my fault!"_ he shot back.

Roy held up his hands in defeat. "Alright, Fullmetal. Don't get your panties in a twist," he replied, ignoring Ed's eyeroll. "Arborthal, help me move these rocks."

As much as alchemy would have helped, Roy didn't want to risk doing something to the circle and possibly making the situation worse. So he and Arborthal began to tear down the pile of rocks one by one, with Ed watching closely. It was hard work, and Roy was pretty sure he'd pulled a muscle by the time the two of them rolled the last boulder away.

"…That's it?" Arborthal asked, blinking down at the small metal disc.

Roy nodded and slowly picked it up. It wasn't cracked and the circle was intact, but the surface was grimy and covered with mud. He carefully wiped the surface, eyes tracing the design. "So, what do we do this?" he asked Ed, who had come closer when the circle had been found.

Ed's expression hardened. _"I want you to destroy it."_

Roy glanced up from his examination. "Destroy it? But all we're after is Father, right? How do I just get him?"

_"Are you really that dumb or are you trying to ignore the obvious, Mustang?"_ Ed snarled.

Roy jerked back in surprise; he hadn't seen Ed this livid in quite a long time. "What are you talking about?"

Edward's eyes narrowed to slits. _"You can't pull _just_ Father out of that thing,"_ he said. Roy continued to stare, so Ed continued. _"To get rid of Father, you have to destroy the entire circle."_

Something clicked in Roy's brain. "Wait, but if I destroy this, then-"

_"Yes," _Ed cut him off and stalked forward until the two of them were face-to-face. _"You'll destroy every single soul inside."_

**And this is where the angst starts. Hooray!**


	4. Request

**Another chapter! Some language, but nothing to really warn about. Slight ParentalRoyxEd.**

Roy felt his stomach drop. "What? You can't expect me to do that!"

Ed's lips drew back in a snarl. _"I'm going to be honest with you Mustang- I really don't care. You need to destroy that circle, and that's that!"_ he spat, pointing at the disc in Mustang's hand.

The older man shook his head and stepped back.

_"What is wrong with you, Mustang?"_ Ed had stalked forward, closing the distance between the two. _"It's just a little piece of metal. You're not scared of it, are you?"_ he sneered, deliberately egging Mustang on.

"Dammit, Ed!" Mustang shouted, waving his hands angrily and almost swiping one through Ed's face. "This isn't just a 'little piece of metal'! If I destroy this, you die, and I am sure as hell not going to be your killer!" Ed jerked back in surprise and opened his mouth, but Mustang didn't give him a chance to interrupt him. "I may have done some shitty things in my life, but I won't be responsible for killing you a second time. It was my fault you died the first time down here… I'm not going to do it again!" he exclaimed and threw the disc away. It bounced and rolled out of the small patch of light and into the darkness, out of sight.

Ed's eyes were wide as he watched the circle disappear. The two were silent, both stewing in their own thoughts.

Ed looked back to Roy with a wounded expression_. "Fine,"_ he said, voice low. _"I should have known that the one time I suck it up and ask you for something, you'd be a bastard and not help me."_

Roy took a step forward, one hand raised. "Look, Ed, there has to be some other way-"

_"There isn't,"_ Ed interjected. He shook his head and looked away. _"Later, Mustang."_

Much to Roy's horror, Ed began to fade. "Ed! Wait! What are you doing?"

Ed paused; only a faint outline of his body and the two points of red for his eyes were left. _"Going back to the Stone. If you're not going to do anything about it, I might as well get used to being trapped in there."_

"Ed-!"

But the eyes flickered out and he disappeared.

Roy took a step forward, one hand raised as if to grab Edward's shoulder. But there was nothing there, and he slowly lowered his arm. "Dammit," he whispered.

A sloshing sound caught his attention and he turned to see Arborthal making his way closer. "Sir?" he asked, coming to a halt, the lantern swinging quietly in his hand. The young man's eyes were wide, and it was clear he had absolutely no idea what to make of the scene he had just witnessed.

Roy sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. "Leave, Arborthal. Go back to your apartment and go to sleep. If anyone asks, you didn't find anything in the sewers and you don't know where I am," he ordered, glaring at his subordinate from the corner of his eye. "And don't speak a word of anything you saw down here to anyone, understood?"

Arborthal nodded but didn't move. He chewed absently on his lip, as if he wanted to say something.

But Roy really didn't want to hear it. "Go, Arborthal."

"But General-"

"I told you to leave!" Roy shouted, his temper finally snapping.

Arborthal jumped in surprise and darted away, running clumsily though the water and out of sight.

It was only after the young alchemist disappeared that Roy realized he had taken the lantern with him.

The General cursed again and began to dig through the piles of debris in the hopes of finding something flammable. His search was rewarded when he unearthed and thick wooden support beam, which he promptly ignited with a deft snap.

With the room lit, Mustang made his way in the direction he had tossed the small disc. As much as he hated the thought, he did have to do _something_ about it. Just what, though, he couldn't figure out for the life of him.

After several minutes of searching, he found it partially submerged in a small puddle. With a grunt, he bent and carefully picked it up. It wouldn't have surprised him in the least if Ed was waiting for him to come close enough so he could attack.

But nothing happened. Roy flipped the small circle over and rubbed the surface, fingertips ghosting over the grooves of the transmutation circle. Various circles flicked through his mind, but Roy's expertise was in fire- he had almost no knowledge of soul transmutation, and the one person who was quite practiced in it was currently stuck in the circle.

_Maybe Alphonse would know_… Roy scowled at the thought. Al probably would know how to do something, but did he really want to bring the younger Elric into this? He had only visited with Al once since Ed's death, and it had taken the boy a while to fully come to terms with his brother's passing. The last thing Roy wanted to do was to bring any of those emotions back up.

"What the hell am I supposed to do?" Roy moaned, sitting down heavily on a flat rock. He glared at the piece of metal in his hand before clenching his fist around it. Punching something would really help relieve some of the stress, but there wasn't anything to hit besides giant rocks; all he'd get from that would be several broken fingers.

Then the circle started glowing.

Roy dropped the amulet back in the water and jerked back to his feet. He took several steps back, arm raised and fingers tensed, ready to attack. _Is it Father?_ Roy felt his brow break out in a cold sweat. Ed had mentioned that Father had been steadily growing stronger and taking back control of the souls, but he couldn't be this far along, could he?

_Unless Ed was the last one he needed_. The thought was horrifying and if it was true, then it was all his fault. Father would break loose, probably kill him, and then continue his quest to take the souls of the millions of inhabitants of Amestris.

A brisk wind picked up, streaming towards the circle. The transmutation glowed softly before a small spark of light shot up into the air. It hovered quietly for a moment before it slowly began to expand.

Roy watched silently as the glow began to dim; he could pick out a distinct human shape. Two red dots flared to life in the head and the figure raised its hands and flexed its fingers experimentally.

At first, Roy thought it was Ed, but the build was wrong- a little too tall and the shoulders were too broad. The outfit was different, too. Edward had worn some crazy things, but Roy was pretty sure the kid had never worn a toga.

The light had faded completely and Roy got his first good look at the apparition. It was a man, and judging from the lines on his face, somewhere in his sixties. His hair was a deep blond, and his eyes were gold.

_Xerxian? _Roy narrowed his eyes in thought. The man fit the description and if he had come out of the circle, then he had come from the Stone inside Father, which was composed of the Xerxians he had annihilated.

"_I will not harm you. You can put your hand down_."

Roy jumped in surprise as the ghost spoke. The man was staring at him, head tilted a little to one side. "_Really, any sort of attack wouldn't do much of anything_."

He was right. Flames wouldn't do anything to refracted light (if that was what actually created ghosts, but Roy was pretty sure Ed was right) and the alchemist lowered his hand. "Who are you?" he asked, stepping closer to the ghost.

The man smiled. "_Forgive_ _me for not introducing myself earlier. My name is Mithras_," he said, inclining his head slightly towards Mustang. "_I take it that you are Roy Mustang?_"

Roy blinked in surprise. "How do you know who I am?"

Mithras waved a hand at the circle. "_I've had some time to chat with Edward. There isn't much else to do in there besides talk._"

Hesitantly, Roy sank back down onto one of the rocks. "So if the two of you have been talking, I suppose you know the situation." It was strange talking to someone who had been dead for several centuries; Roy thought he had adjusted as well as he could when talking to Ed, but this was something else entirely.

The ghost nodded and Roy frowned at a thought. "Wait. How are you able to appear? Edward said he could do it because he had been through the Gate."

Mithras smirked wryly. "_Well, back when I was alive, I was an alchemist on the King's court. He didn't like very much, due to a feud with my father_." He sighed and shook his head. "_I ended up doing all the dangerous, experimental alchemy, most of which bordered on human transmutation. It only took a couple of tries to end up at the Gate_."

Roy blinked. "Oh." Yes, that was intelligent. But in all honesty, he had other things on his mind than this ghost's dramatic past. His eyes slid back to the circle.

Mithras glanced over, following Roy's gaze. "_You have to do something about that. Edward was right when he said that monster was getting stronger_."

The General scowled. "I know! But I can't do what he wants me to do."

"_Why not?_" Mithras stepped closer.

Roy ran a hand through his hair and growled in frustration. "That's all his soul has to attach to. I'll kill him! I'll kill you!" he shouted, waving a hand at the ghost. "And all those souls inside. I can't do that."

Mithras sighed and looked down. "_I understand your pain, Mustang, but the Xerxians and I should have been dead a long time ago. Being alive this long is agony_."

"But what about Edward? He's not supposed to be dead!"

"_That is true, but what can you do?_"

Roy shook his head and rubbed his eyes. "I don't know. If I could get his soul out of there, then maybe I could attach it back to his body or… Al might be able to reconstruct a new-"

"_Stop_." Mithras' voice was stern and Roy snapped his mouth shut. The ghost shoved his face into Roy's and scowled. "_It is truly a tragedy that Edward is dead, but there is nothing you can do for him now except to destroy that circle_."

"But-!"

"_No_." The specter shook his head. "_Being trapped in there is hell, Mustang. If you care for that boy, then you will break that circle and release him_."

Roy looked down and shook his head. "I can't do it," he muttered, burying his head in his hands. "I've done too much to him already."

He couldn't see it, but he could sense Mithras stepping away. "_Do what you want, Mustang. But just remember that our fate lies in your hands_."

When Roy looked up again, he was gone.

* * *

Roy wasn't sure how long he had sat there, stewing in his thoughts. He had gone over scenario and after scenario, just trying to figure out some way to make the situation work.

But nothing was coming to him, and Roy knew, deep down, that Ed had been right.

And he had never felt like more of a bastard in his life.

The fire had burned itself into a smoldering pile of ash and light was starting to filter in from the cracks in the ceiling. The alchemist got to his feet, pointedly ignoring the pops from his back (he wasn't old, dammit!) and paced over to the circle.

It glinted quietly, parts of it still smeared with mud. Roy picked it up, cradling the disc in the palm of his hand.

"Fine, Edward," he whispered, fingers clenching around the circle. "We'll do this your way."

**One more chapter! I'm going to try to have it by Halloween, but we all know about me and deadlines :/**

**Hopefully I was able to get more into Roy's head. I'm trying, I really am!**


	5. Release

**Happy Halloween, everyone! Hey, I made my deadline for once. This calls for a celebration!**

**Epic amounts of angst and all that other fun stuff in here. You might want a tissue or two handy for the end.**

Roy bought a ticket for the first train out of Central.

He hadn't even bothered to change clothes, and judging from the startled look the ticketmaster gave him, he must have looked something awful. But he didn't really care- he knew if he went home, he'd find some way to put off doing what he was going to do.

So he boarded the train disheveled and soaking wet from the knee down.

The other passengers looked alarmed as he squelched his way down the aisle and into his private compartment. Roy was pretty sure some of them recognized him, despite the fact that he was out of uniform and quite unkempt.

Again, he didn't care. There were bigger things going on.

His hand was shoved deep into his pocket, fingers clenched around the circle. He could have sworn the thing was pulsing, as if the souls inside knew what he was going to do.

He reached his compartment and slammed the door shut, locking it behind him with a flick of his wrist. The sounds from the outside were muted, and Roy sighed in relief as he sank onto one of the benches. Even in the high-priced compartments, the seats were hard and uncomfortable, and the position he was sitting in was causing the disc to dig into his thigh.

Roy grunted in annoyance and pulled the small pendant out and tossing it onto the bench across from him. It landed with a soft _thump_ as the train began moving.

He wasn't sure how long he stared at the disc, but when Roy looked up again, the train had left the city and was well into the countryside. If there were no interruptions, they'd be there by sunrise.

A brief flash of light brought Roy's attention back to the disc. A small spark erupted from the circle and it slowly expanded out into human form. The figure sat crossed-legged on the seat and Roy raised his eyebrows in surprise when he realized it was Ed staring back at him, and not Mithras.

"I thought you were mad at me," Roy said quietly. It certainly seemed like the blond was- his arms were crossed and he was glaring so hard it made Roy's eyes hurt just to look at it. And considering their argument earlier, Roy wouldn't have been surprised if Ed simply ignored him.

But Ed didn't ignore him, but he didn't answer the question, either. "_Where the hell are we going?_"he snapped, eyes flicking over to the window and back to Roy.

Roy leaned back in the seat. "The place where it all went to hell."

Ed scowled at Roy's cryptic answer and floated over to the window. His eyes followed the passing hills and the occasional farm. Then the ghost let out a hiss and whirled around, shoving his face into Roy's. "_You asshole! You're going to Resembool?_" he screeched, lips drawn so far back that Roy could count Ed's teeth. "_You're bringing Al into this? What the hell is your problem, Mustang? He's had enough shit to deal with over the past couple of years!_"

"Ed, calm down-"

"_Don't tell me to calm down!_" Ed howled.

"Someone will hear you, so shut up!" Roy snapped back. He didn't need to explain to a passing steward that he had a small metal object housing several thousand souls inside and that one of them was currently caught up in a fit of rage. "We're not going to Resembool. Al has nothing to do with this- he doesn't even know."

Edward snapped his mouth shut and planted his hands on his hips. "_Fine. I'll ask you again- where are we going?_"

Roy folded his arms and let a small smirk cross his face. "Consider it a surprise, Fullmetal."

The young alchemist gave him an incredulous look. "_I don't like surprises_," he muttered, floating back to the seat.

"Too bad."

The rest of the ride was silent.

* * *

Roy was so exhausted from the morning's events that he dozed off. He hadn't even realized he had until he jerked awake as a train slowed to a halt as it approached one of the stations. Outside the sun was setting and the bench across from him was empty.

It wasn't his stop, but Roy got up anyway, groggily rubbing his eyes. It had been hours since he had eaten, and if he was going to be performing alchemy, he needed all his strength. As a precaution, he returned the disc to his pocket before exiting the compartment. He was pretty sure nobody would have gotten in while he was gone, but it never hurt to be careful.

The dining car was vacant, due to the fact that most of the passengers had already gotten off at one of the earlier stops; not many people went as far east as he was going.

So the alchemist wedged himself in a corner booth and ate quietly. The circle was, once again, pushed up against his thigh, and the throbbing distracted him so much he couldn't remember what he had eaten.

* * *

Roy ended up wandering the train.

The locomotive was practically empty and with the sun completely set beyond the horizon, the hallways were dark. But that was good- he needed a chance to think.

He still couldn't believe what he was going to do. The General stopped at the back of the train and stared out at the landscape, eyes unfocused. The circle may be "hell" as Mithras had put it, but still…

He was going to fucking _kill_ Edward.

Roy groaned and banged his head on the glass. This was just so messed up.

"You're such a hassle," he grumbled, shooting his pocket a dirty look.

Roy returned to the compartment and nodded off again; the combination of a stomach full of food and mental exhaustion catching up with him.

* * *

"Last stop! This is the last stop!"

The words snapped Roy out of his doze and he stumbled to his feet. A quick glance out the window proved that the call was correct- they had reached the end of the line and Roy's destination.

He checked his pocket for the disk and disembarked quickly- one of the perks of traveling without any luggage.

The station was empty and Roy shivered at a cool gust of air that blew across the small platform. But then he squared his shoulders and took his first steps towards Ishval.

He was headed towards the Savitri District.

Of all the places that had been destroyed during the war, Savitri had been hit the hardest, because one Flame Alchemist had been assigned to level the area. It was one of the few areas in Ishval with a water source, and had been the main farming area for the entire region.

That is, until he scorched the place so badly that even the soil was ruined.

It was quite a hike to the outskirts, and Roy trudged his way through the dunes, pointedly trying to _not_ think about the last time he had been here. It took him several hours and the horizon was starting to lighten by the time the alchemist finally caught sight of the buildings.

His hunch that nobody had come back to the area was correct; nothing had been repaired and burn marks still coated most of the buildings and piles of rubble that littered the streets. Sand had been blown in and had filled in several of the houses, forming dunes up to the windows.

It was deserted, and that was how he wanted it.

Sure, it would have been a lot faster (and he wouldn't have as many blisters on his feet) if he had called for transportation when he arrived, but he didn't want all the political activity that would undoubtedly be generated nor did he want to be chased out by an angry Ishvalan mob with torches and stones.

Which, considering how unpopular he was in this area, wasn't all that unlikely.

And an audience was something he could do without.

He reached the main square of the abandoned city and slowly pulled the disc out of his pocket. The small sliver of moon reflected from its surface and Roy absently ran his thumb across the edge as he approached a large rock slab that had been dumped over into the walkway.

Roy had spent most of the train ride mulling over the circle he wanted to use, and while stonework wasn't his forte, he knew how to fix buildings and repair streets. He placed the disc on the rock, snatched up a charred stick and slowly began sketching the circle on the stone canvas.

"_Mustang! Where are we?_"

He jumped, startled, and smudged part of the design. "Dammit, Ed! I'm trying to draw a circle here!" he snapped, rubbing out the error with his thumb.

Ed, who had materialized without Roy's notice rolled his eyes. "_Where are we? Give me an answer before I start throwing things at you._"

Roy licked his lips. With Ed, that was not an empty threat. "Ishval," he replied quietly, bending back over the transmutation circle.

There was no reply. Out of the corner of his eye, Roy could see Ed wandering around the ruined plaza, silently taking in the destruction and the large streaks of burned stone. "_This was your area wasn't it?_"

Despite the fact that he knew the question was coming, Roy couldn't suppress his flinch. "Yes," he replied, keeping his bent and ignoring Ed as he approached Roy's side. The Flame could feel the boy's eyes on him, watching his strokes as he sketched. It would only be a matter of time before Edward recognized the circle.

The sharp intake of breath told Roy he had figured it out. "You don't want it?" he asked, looking up. He couldn't blame the kid if he didn't…

Ed stared at the circle for a moment before looking up and meeting Roy's eyes. "_Honestly, I think it's the best idea you've had in a long time_," he replied, a small smirk crossing his face.

Roy exhaled in relief and stepped back from the circle. He had been worried Ed would reject the idea- after all, nobody liked thinking of their souls being used as fuel.

After musing on his possibilities with the circle, Roy knew he had to destroy it, but to just destroy the circle seemed like a waste. Even though it was in another form, the disc was a real Philosopher's Stone, and could be used.

So Roy had finally settled on using the souls to start the rebuilding of Ishval.

"If this area is revitalized, the Ishvalans will have a way to feed themselves and will be able to live in the region again. Once that starts, it'll spread out from there across the entire desert," Roy explained. Ed made a grunt of agreement, eyes locked on the sketch of the circle. "Do you think I'm being selfish?"

Ed jerked his head up in surprise. "_What?_"

Roy looked away, arms crossed over his chest. "Do you think I'm using you as my redemption? You never had anything to do with Ishval, and yet you're going to be the one paying for it."

The ghost tilted his head and frowned. "_Do you plan on taking credit for this transmutation and telling everyone you did it?_"

"No." It was true, too. He had planned on completing the transmutation and leaving the area before anyone saw him.

Ed shrugged and put his hands on his hips. "_See, you're not doing this for any kind of publicity or promotion, and in all honesty, I'd rather be used here than to fix the sewers or something_." The alchemist jabbed a finger at the transmutation circle. "_It's all correct- go ahead and activate it_."

Roy unfolded his arms and flexed his fingers nervously. It had seemed like the best plan of action down in the sewers, but now that he was actually here and getting ready to do the deed, he found himself hesitating. "Ed…"

"_Do it, Mustang_," Ed hissed, obviously picking up on the General's hesitation. "_We didn't come all this way for you chicken out!_"

"But-!"

"_We already had this discussion!_" Ed's eyes had narrowed dangerously and Roy leaned back as Ed thrust himself closer. It seemed Ed's temper was even shorter and more explosive than normal, but being trapped in a Stone probably had that effect on people. "_Think of the greater good, the needs of the many outweighing the needs of the few, saving the country, blah, blah, blah. Not me!_" Roy's eyes crossed to see the finger that was jabbed authoritatively in his face. "_You know you have to do it_."

…Damn it all, the kid was right.

Roy squeezed his eyes shut and slammed his palms onto the circle before he had a chance to think himself out of it again. There was an instant surge of energy and a bright flash of light. He tentatively cracked open an eye as wind began to blow, kicking up a small twister of sand around the pair.

In the circle, the small disc started glowing, the transmutation circle etched on it lighting up to a glaring red. The piece of metal began to vibrate, rattling loudly against the stone. Next to him, Edward let out a low moan and covered his mouth like he was going to be ill.

Then the disc exploded, breaking into miniscule particles that were caught in the gusts of wind and pulled back towards the transmutation circle.

The pieces connected and there was a solid _boom_, accompanied by a shockwave that almost took Roy off his feet.

And then the screaming started.

Roy had thought the screaming he had heard at Ishval was terrible, but the shrieking that came tearing out of the souls sent chills down his spine and the fact that Ed was practically howling in agony, head clenched in his hands, made it the most terrible thing he had ever heard.

The souls themselves had finally escaped, flying out of the circle in a mass of black, bulbous shapes that made Roy's skin crawl. They split apart and darted across the city, dissolving into the alchemy and then into the structures with a blue flash of light that lit up the entire square. Roy watched silently, eyes wide with awe, as the buildings were rebuilt, the burn marks erased as if they had never happened.

"_Thank you_…"

Roy jerked in surprise, but whichever soul had spoken was gone, absorbed into the streams of alchemy.

"_I told you being trapped in there was hell_."

The alchemist glanced to the side to see Mithras, who was standing next to Ed. The younger alchemist still looked queasy, but the initial pain seemed to have passed.

Mithras smiled as several souls rocketed into a nearby fountain; the marble work repaired itself and a stream of water came bursting forth. He stepped forward so that he was next to Roy and placed a hand on the alchemist's shoulder. "_I believe that I can speak for all of Xerxes when I thank you for this_," he said. Then the ghost leaned in. "_You did the right thing, whether you believe it or not_," he whispered, eyes flicking over to Edward.

Roy blinked, and the man was gone.

The transmutation was nearing its end; most of the city was rebuilt, save for the temple at the center of the town.

Edward was suddenly at his shoulder. "It's almost your turn, isn't it?" Roy asked quietly, pointedly not making eye contact with the boy.

"_Yeah_." Ed's voice was flat and when Roy glanced over at him, he was staring intently at the temple. Being the last place left unfixed, it was the most likely destination for Ed's soul. "_Look, Mustang, I'm not good at this sappy good-bye crap_," he said, turning to face the other alchemist. "_So thanks for doing this and being a huge bastard and all that_." Edward crossed his arms. "_Don't beat yourself up over this. Really, don't make Hawkeye waste bullets shooting you because you were spending all your time moping_."

Roy smirked. "I'll be sure to keep all that in mind."

Ed huffed and stalked over to the circle, occupying the spot where Mithras had stood earlier. "_You do that. I don't feel like coming back to haunt you_."

It was then Roy noticed that Ed's outline had become fainter and his hair and clothing was being pulled towards the circle. For the life of him, Roy couldn't think of anything to say, so he bowed his head, focusing on finishing the transmutation.

He could feel Edward staring at him, but then the blond looked away, and, to Roy's horror, began to fade. The need to say something pressed into his chest like a physical weight and he raised his head again. "Edward!"

Ed glanced at him in surprise, almost completely sucked into the alchemy.

"I…" Roy mentally cursed. He didn't know what the hell he wanted to say. Now was his last chance, and his brain and tongue had completely betrayed him. "Just… good luck, Ed."

The blond stared at him before letting out a haughty snort and tossing his head. "_Ha! I don't need any luck, especially from you, Colonel Bastard_," he shot back, smirking.

Roy shut his eyes against the sudden flash of light and when he opened them again, Edward was gone.

The winds from the transmutation slowly died down as the light flickered out. The buildings, once again, stood tall and unblemished; the golden accents on the temple were practically glowing in the dawn light.

Roy fell to his knees, hands sliding off the circle and into the sand. He was covered in sweat and shaking from exhaustion due to the prolonged transmutation. It was easily the most taxing thing he'd ever done- both mentally and physically.

_I did it_… Roy shook his head in disbelief and ran a hand through his hair. Slowly, he raised his head and took in the newly rebuilt city. The stones on the streets were swept clear of sand and even the glass window panes in the houses had been repaired. In front of him, the stone slab was blank again; the force of the transmutation had actually removed the ashen circle.

With a grunt, Roy pushed himself to his feet. He staggered slightly, but managed to keep his balance, despite the fact that the world was spinning. The alchemist took a quick drink from the fountain (he wasn't stupid enough to go walking across the desert dehydrated) and made his way back out to the edge of the city.

It was done. Completely, this time.

As much as Roy felt the need to mourn, he knew it had to wait. Ed had made it quite clear that he didn't need to cling to the past- he had a country to reform and promises to keep.

At the top of one of the dunes, Roy paused, feeling the need for just one last look. He scowled, and then decided that one look wasn't going to do anything.

He took in the sight quietly- the rising sun, the restored homes, the working fountain, and the glowing temple, the-

Roy frowned and looked back at the temple. Something was off with one of the spires… He squinted, shielding his eyes against the sunlight, and sucked in a breath.

Sitting on top of one the foremost spire was a hunched stone gargoyle, fangs bared, malformed wings spread, with a face only Ed could love.

Roy blinked and, unbidden, the rains came.

**I think I stared at this ending for at least an hour. I'm hoping it's up to snuff and worthy of being posted. **

**Thanks for reading this far, guys! Hopefully I'll be posting more for your enjoyment in the future.**


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